Transitioning to Secondary School

Transitioning to Secondary International Education

If pupils continue to study in the Netherlands, they will move on to one of the secondary international schools in or around The Hague. A large majority of HSV pupils choose to study at the International School of The Hague (ISH), while others move on to the European School, the international department of the Rijnlands Lyceum in Oegstgeest or Wassenaar, International School of Delft or the RISS in Rotterdam.

As there are a range of English-speaking secondary schools in The Hague, the choice to take a place at a secondary school is a parental decision and therefore the parents of ID6 pupils must themselves apply generally by December of the previous year (check the school’s individual policy).

Transitioning to Secondary Dutch Education

There are some families who decide to stay in the Netherlands and move their children to the Dutch system. This is a process that needs to be carefully thought through and prepared, depending on the abilities and the needs of the individual child.

If you are considering a switch we advise you do this as early as possible. The more time a child can spend in the Dutch system before group 8 (the equivalent of year 7/US grade 6), the better. We recommend that children transition to the Dutch system in year 4 at the very latest.
The amount of time needed to acquire the age-appropriate vocabulary and grammar needed to study in Dutch, both orally and in reading and writing, takes many years.

In the Dutch system the children are streamed before secondary school according to ability, based on a recommendation from the school and a national standardised assessment (CITO) in group 8. The HSV International department does not sit the CITO test and the year 6 teachers are unable to provide advice on the most suitable stream for your child at Dutch secondary school.
The level of secondary school determines whether a child will go to university or undertake professional education. Children need to be fluent in all aspects of the Dutch language to truly perform to the best of their ability in these assessments.